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Mount Golgotha Special Project Site
Category:Vagrant Al-Dost Research and Development Amidst the cold mountain ranges of Al-Dost, secluded from the outside world by razor fences and vigilant guards, lies the Mount Golgotha Special Project Site. This hybridization of laboratory and bunker has been reinforced both inside and out against beam, shell and shot, as the devices tested within are most often of a volatile nature. Mount Golgotha is a promise of security for once-independent researchers, a single location in which the decryption and recreation of ancient technologies could be concentrated, hidden from the gaze of the sector at large. Now Mount Golgotha houses a think tank comprised of some of the most cunning and ruthless minds in the Sector, seeking to bootstrap and invent, to test and to learn. Raw materials and technologies are shipped past the checkpoints of Golgotha in droves, to be blasted and refined into the newest starship designs, weapon schematics, esoteric machinery, and industrial artifices. Golgotha is not a grand production center like some Demnoph manufactory, nor is it a forge of perfection in comparison to an Aomori smithy. Yet the seal of Mount Golgotha is one that assures robustness in function, versatility in usage, and is ever a welcome sight to even the most demanding of the Confederation in any of their various pursuits, criminal or otherwise. Research Departments Since its inception by Jon Tallarch, the efforts of the Mount Golgotha Site have been divided into four primary fields of research - arms development, biology, cybernetic and computational studies, and exploitation of the D.R.I.P of Al-Dost. The reason as to why these four fields of study were focused on in particular is yet another secret Jon Tallarch carried to his grave, but many of the resident minds at Mount Golgotha have surmised that there was a method to Tallarch’s madness, and the four fields must work together to reach a single, hidden hypothesis of great portent, Even while vying with one another for boons such as continued funding and additional testing supplies. Lab Complex Minotaur The most renowned of the four departments is Laboratory Complex Minotaur, in charge of developing armaments and armor for the modern soldier. Alongside reverse-engineering the pretech weaponry found amongst ancient Al-Dostian armories, the weapon specialists here also enhance postech designs with the techniques they have learned, making more powerful firearms and more durable protection as a result. One of the better known developments of Complex Minotaur was the Damysus Spider Tank, equipped with an onboard VI for improved targeting and computational assistance. However, modeling the VI’s programmed behaviors off of a known war criminal proved to be a significant error, no matter how skilled said individual was in the art of piloting. After the entire test crew was killed via excessive g’s of force through sustained maneuvers beyond safe operation limits, the project was forced to be scrapped. Notable Projects CAN A desire to combat heavily armored foes with lightly armed infantry units led Golgothan researchers to the development of Charged Armor Neutralization ammunition, colloquially referred to by rank-and-file soldiery as “CAN Openers.” Each CAN is a front-loaded charge composed of depleted uranium and jacketed in durable heat-resistant wolframite. Upon being fired from a modified main battle weapon, gyrojet systems allow for minor compensation and trajectory shift during flight in order to ensure maximum effectiveness against fast-moving targets. As the CAN nears its target, integrated mounts project a momentary conical plasma sheath around the charge, allowing for maximum penetration through melting the outermost layers of enemy armor upon contact. CANs can also be utilized in urban combat scenarios to punch through hard cover and assault fortified structures from a distance. It is advised to not fire CAN ammunition at organic targets, due to the incendiary effects of the plasma sheath and the weight of the round itself. Over penetration is almost guaranteed in such cases, and collateral damage to the surrounding environment is highly likely. Usage of CAN ammunition in hostage situations is no longer allowed due to the aforementioned consequences. SP1-K3 Though it technically has no name in any book of ship boarding tactics and warfare, the SP1-K3 pneumatic hammer will always find a special place in the hearts and arms of any veteran marine. The SP1-K3 is a solid-core metal rod with a conical end, locked into place by magnetic clamps situated along its housing. It is rapidly fired into an opposing structure, bulkhead, or enemy via a combination of instant reversal of the magnetic clamp orientation and a secondary plasma detonation at the base of the housing. The raw kinetic force is more than ample enough to punch a hole in any offending obstacle or vaporize a foe in an unconventional method. The SP1-K3 is commonly mounted on either a tripod system anchored to a surface or attached to the hardpoint of a reinforced mecha. To fire the weapon without preparation is folly, since the energy emissions and subsequent backblast of the weapon will deal grievous damage to the wielded if caught unawares. The reloading of the system of a cumbersome process, as the plasma charges must be reinstalled and the rod slid back into place. While it is not advised, it must be acknowledged that melee engagement utilizing the SP1-K3 pneumatic hammer can be extremely devastating given the right circumstances. It should also be noted, in parallel, that missing with such a tactic will often result in the subsequent death of the wielder, as the backblast will often “knock you flat on your ass,” and leave stunned personnel highly vulnerable. CH3-RU8 Faced with a need for suppressive fire without exposure to enemy weaponry, Golgothan weapon scientists developed the CH3-RU8 Indirect Airburst Suppression Unit. The CH3-RU8 main system houses a triple-barrel firing system within the main housing, loaded from a drum magazine, whose fire can either be directed from a shoulder or bipod mounted position, both with integrated computer-assisted aiming. Typical ammunition contact is achieved through a canister delivery system in order to bypass enemy defilades and saturate said enemy with airborne fragmentation weaponry. The system can also be toggled to a direct fire mode and utilized in a similar fashion to an archaic grenade launcher, in case the position of the firing team itself is compromised or indirect trajectories are no longer required for suppressive fire. Ammunition for the CH3-RU8 system comes in several varieties for maximum battlefield flexibility. Along with standard proximity fragmentation canisters, the system can fire high explosive packages, provide smoke cover for advancing forces, and even launch metal sabot charges for dealing with enemy light armor and infantry with a rain of weighted steel spikes from on high. Kick Gun Combat personnel not involved in active engagements petitioned Golgothan weapons specialists for a line of weaponry designed for non-lethal incapacitation of unarmed hostiles, such as rioters or violent dissidents. This bred the developmental line known simply as “kick guns” - weapons designed to repel hostile through concussive force, utilizing compressed air, shaped explosive charges, directed gravitational pulses, or some combination of the three. Most kick guns are handheld rifle designs able to be deployed in tandem with policing forces, though larger variations can be mounted on mobile armor for long-range suppression. Though their intent is commonly held to be of non-lethal intent, marine forces in boarding actions have become quick fans of the kick gun’s concussive power. Within the tight corridors of ship combat, enemy combatants can be rapidly neutralized when slammed or thrown against bulkheads with intense force. This leads to such weapons being known by the more nefarious title of “splatter rifles” when utilized in ship-to-ship asymmetric warfare. CA-M31 Faced with a shortage of high-quality powered armaments due to the untimely arrest of several vital weapons suppliers, the Golgotha think tank saw a pressing need to develop an energy-based line firearm to utilize in modification trials and combat scenarios, both simulated and real. The CA-M31 Multiple Theater Energy Rifle can be supplied utilizing either a hand-inserted Type A standardized power cell or direct cable connection to a back-mounted ‘juice box’ power supply. The CA-M31 sets itself apart from conventional energy weaponry in its emulation of the pretech shear rifle, allowing for ignorance of excessive reflective particulates and a greater degree of armor penetration. This increased firepower comes at a cost, however - the rifle has an audible retort similar in volume to that of a gunshot, it draws intense amounts of energy to maintain function, and the telltale energy flash easily reveals fireteams equipped with such weaponry. Even with these dangers, combat personnel are always eager to be armed with CA-M31 rifles with which to devastate unsuspecting enemy forces. CK Shotgun Boarding actions are among the most lethal combat environments presented to combat forces, often racking up morbid death counts due to the funneling of personnel down pre-determined kill corridors and the challenge of facing both biological and automated defenses. Confederation forces have found a mainstay to combat such situations in the Corridor-Kill Automatic Shotgun. The design, a single barrel drum-fed scattergun, is simplistic in nature, yet simplicity can prove to be king in the prevention of weapon jams or malfunctions during high-stress scenarios. Naturally, the scattergun also allows for fully automatic fire if a target-rich environment presents itself. Marines the sector over, if they know what is good for them, will endeavor to make sure they are never on the delivering end of such a weapon, and instead wield it themselves. In the interest of tactical flexibility, multiple cross-compatible ammunition variants have been tested for usage in such weapons. The H3L Endothermic variant functions off of a dual-shot regimen. First, a slurry of liquid nitrogen and standard drive coolant is blasted towards enemies at high velocities, often freezing exposed flesh upon impact and locking up powered armor in a rictus of flash-formed ice. The follow-up shot sends a hail of shaped metal darts and weighted bearings along the same fire path, smashing into the frozen opponents with horrifying effect (in fringe cases, foes may also be physically fragmented and smashed apart). The second ammunition variant commonly utilized by boarding forces is the H3LL Exothermic. A more robust firing pattern than the H3L variant, the H3LL round blasts a cloud of self-igniting magnesium strips and shards to quickly incinerate the opposition. Use in O2 rich environments is usually recommended for maximum burn efficacy, if not for improved safety. HU5-CAR1 What good is a soldier or his vehicle if they are destroyed before the battle even begins? In order to negate such unfortunate circumstances, the HU5-CAR1 Angled Frame Reinforcement has been implemented into both vehicular and personal armor schematics. Said armor is loaded with redundant shock-absorbent materials such as patterned kinetic foam, layered across a frame made from new T1TAN Combat Weave that is concentrated at areas of high impact and constant kinetic stress, all packaged underneath a simple sloped-plating composite that protects the maximum amount of integral systems while still maintaining functionality in CQB environs. Some soldiers even choose to further augment their personal equipment with the JAR1 Synthesized Muscle Analogue Harness, a full-body mechanical exoskeleton that can be hard wired as an additional layer on top of the HU5-CAR1 schematic. The exoskeleton allows a soldier to lift several times their own weight in stress scenarios, and proportionally increases power draw based on the amount of force required. Some field reports highlight this artificial Herculean strength as a vital factor to survival and victory, with equipped personnel being able to relocate entire vehicles by hand to utilize as cover, or smashing combatants to death in desperate melee combat. P0MPE11 A deadly combination of close quarter engagements, uneven terrain, and the rapid movement of native forces in the Al-Dost incursion necessitated the deployment and updating of technology previously believed to be ‘archaic.’ Foremost among these ancient weapons of war was the flamethrower, deemed to be especially effective due to the biological nature of enemy combatants. The POMPE11 Wave Assault Incendiary is a two-handed flame projector designed to target enemies at a safe distance of seventy meters. At shorter ranges, the pressurization of the fuel is enough to both burn enemies down to the bone and also knock them prone, due to the sheer force behind the projection. The overreach of marine forces in the rapid land conquest of Al-Dost led to many friendly combatants being left without prescribed fuel mixtures for the POMPE11 Incendiary. This lack of proper ignitable substances forced more intrepid marines to utilize starship fuel as an ignition substitute. Such a combination led to the POMPE11 earning the moniker of the ‘dragon cannon’ due to its flesh-melting heat, explosive projection force, and unwieldy nature. PALAD1N To negate the ability of Al-Dost natives to quickly traverse firing arcs of friendly emplacements, marines on the front lines of the ‘second incursion’ were armed with rudimentary hand-to-hand armaments that served as the forebears of the PALAD1N Close Quarters Armory. In order to deflect the sharpened natural weapons of native combatants, forearm-mounted blast shields were employed, often constructed from the blast plating of gravtanks or disassembled spacecraft. Though extremely simple in their original design, marines have vouched for the overarm shield, especially during indoor engagements, wherein such a shield could easily hold a hallway or unsecured approach while other soldiers would dispatch the enemy from behind. Golgotha personnel have augmented such shields with shock-absorption servomotors and multi-charge gravitic repulsion devices in order to withstand a greater applied force and disengage with melee combatants, respectively. However, marines have replied that such augmentations ‘just don’t feel the same as the original.’ An ample defense in any melee is worthless without armaments to back it up. Thusly, the secondary portion of the PALAD1N arsenal is a fortified martial implement. The implement itself comes in a variety of forms, though the most common are stabbing and slashing implements for halting a rapid combatant or confined engagements. Such weapons are usually made in a two piece format, with shaped wolframite making up the single-cast blade - durability and simplicity are favored over a finer edge, due to the corresponding increase in personal maintenance for such weaponry. Marines are wont to make personal modifications to such weapons to better service them in the field, from a pack-fed superheated blade to single-usage impact charge spearheads powerful enough to over-penetrate powered armor, and devastatingly effective against the natural armor of the natives of Al-Dost. Marines utilizing precursor arrangements to the PALAD1N Armory, in a surprising twist of fate, had among the highest life expectancies of soldiers during the ‘second incursion’ due to the increased amount of personal protection afforded to such combatants. Though by no means accomplished duelists or masters of swordplay, the brutal hack-and-slash tactics of close quarters combat proved to be the decisive finisher in many an engagement, as enemy combatants cornered in cave systems or similar narrow approach zones were handily disposed of by shielded marines. TU-7N-ER The ‘Tillo Utility 7 Neosupercapacitor Extended Range Rifle’ was developed as the prospector culture of Al-Dost grew in size and momentum. A Golathan scientist, one Doctor Jonathon Tillo PHD, noted a common complaint with the prospectors frequenting his favorite bar: The aggression of the natives necessitated carrying a weapon on any given excursion, however this brought with it the additional annoyance of requiring that sufficient munitions and or power cells be packed. These prosecutors lamented the wasted pack space that had been dedicated to such “deadweight” rather than valuable salvage easily worth a hundred times the price of the very weapons that they fed. Noting these complaints through the inevitable haze of alcohol, Doctor Tillo was struck upon by inspiration, what if he could supply a rifle that required no power pack or munitions? Thus the concept of the TU-6N was born, initially a modification of a standard laser rifle the core principle was to implement a crank charger and a set of six single shot neosupercapacitors on a turret mounted to the side of the rifle. This initial approach was scrapped as placing so much weight on the side of a standard rifle proved to significantly throw off accuracy. Undeterred, Tillo forged ahead, choosing instead to create a new platform altogether, this purpose built rifle in place of the turret attachment and traditional powercell port, instead features a seven slot revolving cylinder each containing a single shot neosupercapacitor charged by a crank assembly along the bottom of the rifle. The increased capacity necessitated a designation change to the TU-7N, which entered the market to broadly negative reception as the initial run featured both substandard sights and poor emission cohesion compared to industry standards. Following its poor performance with its intended consumer base the TU-7N was revised with a 4x holographic sight powered by the new internal battery, included to aid with automatic lens adjustment and also chargeable with the crank assembly, variable range focus, and upgrades to the emitter, relaunching as the TU-7N-ER to vastly improved sales figures and consumer reception. Now nicknamed the “Turner Rifle”, much to the chagrin of Tillo who had intended for the rifle to bear his own name, the TU-7N-ER has fast become one of the most popular rifles among prospectors and Vagrant Marines on extended patrol. Lab Complex Typhon The most esoteric and specialized of the four branches, Laboratory Complex Typhon is concerned with the understanding and exploitation of the Divergent Reality Integrity Phenomenon that affects Al-Dost as a whole. Their greatest achievement, the Tallametric Power Cell, or TPC, is one of their few creations that can utilize the principles of the D.R.I.P offworld. Sadly, Complex Typhon was the most reliant on Tallarch’s efforts and understanding among all four branches, and have subsequently suffered greatly due to this death. Even without their guiding idol, Typhon metaphysicists have managed to create a ‘controlled burn zone’ buried deep in the heart of the mountain. This area of divergent reality is suspended in an artifice that resembles the curling legs of a dead insect, only measuring four meters wide at its largest. While this may not seem like much to boast about, such a controlled D.R.I.P intensive environment will surely allow for extensive research into the properties of Al-Dost. However, though this device was not one of Tallarch’s direct creations, it was instead constructed from his loose sketches and diagrams, though said instructions never quite mentioned how to dispel this zone of errant space. Notable Projects MA1E-D1CT An enemy in a fortified position is often not worth the trouble and manpower to remove from their hard-points and bunkers. The MA1E-D1CT Portable Radioactive Neutralization Armory might seem obsolete, given the proliferation of ‘nuke snuffer’ technology in postech infrastructure, yet it many cases the amount of radiation emitted is enough to overload such systems and inflict their intended damage. The primary tool of the armory is the V3NUS Hard Radiation Emitter, a weapon commonly mounted on armored vehicles with an effective range of one kilometer, able to effect a “silent burn” over an entire structure or a hostile civilian target. This radiation results in nigh immediate surface level burns, internal hemorrhaging, splitting headaches, and an intense combination of fatigue and nausea. Opponents are chalked up with a fatal dosage merely minutes after initial exposure, and the amount of hard radiation emitted can render entire combat zones uninhabitable until passed over with postech radiation neutralization technology. The second main course of the armory is the AP3P Duration Denial Canister. Able to be deployed by hand, mortar, or an airborne vehicle, the AP3P Canister is a lead lined-carrying compartment loaded with a variety of dangerously radioactive materials, commonly referred to as ‘blue salt.’ Such canisters, once their contents are spilled, can render designated areas entirely uninhabitable for a full Imperial year. Such devices are more often used to deny the seizure of territory during a retreat action, seeing as how their duration renders them too long-term of a strategy for holding tactical choke points against enemy advancements. B1A-5T The B1A-5T Combat Acceleration System came about as an intriguing byproduct of Mount Golgotha’s research into the negation of the gravitational dangers presented by Wanderers. The B1A-5T System most closely resembles a highly modified set of storm armor, with the largest deviations being an aerodynamic plating design, large ventilation and propulsion systems mounted on the upper back, and a drastic increase in the amount of servomotors and plating installed in the legs of the suit. A pilot in the B1A-5T System is ensconced in a form-fitting crash couch, made of alternating layers of kinetic foam and ablative pressure dampeners. The entire suit, inside and out, abuses gravitic manipulation technology, both to propel the suit and reduce g-forces acting on the pilot. Arguably, the most uncomfortable portion of the piloting procedure is the submersion within and filling of the lungs with what pilots have described as “oxygenated slime.” This compound allows for more effective oxygen interchange in the body while preventing lung collapse due to g-force exposure. Expulsion of the compound from the lungs post-piloting is an often messy and unpleasant affair to witness, much less experience. When activated and brought into stride, the B1A-5T System can easily reach a land speed of several hundred kilometers per hour, traversing landscapes with unmatched speed. This stride can only be maintained for a short portion of time, as the onboard capacitors dump a passive 0.0000001 LS charge into the system’s motors upon command, transforming a common soldier into a howling monster of compressed air and blinding momentum. The TPC The Tallametric Power Cell is the second of the eccentric John Tallarch’s exploitation of the Al-Dost D.R.I.P and salvaged pretech, though he never named the device himself. In the most basic terms, the TPC is an eternal power source that produces no byproduct, radioactive or otherwise, and maintains a constant rate of generation. This is not to say that there is definitively no emission from a functioning TPC - rather, it is unknown as to what such emissions might consist of, or where they are being projected to. It is also unknown as to how the power is truly generated in the first place. The best guess of Fleet physicists is that the cell introduces an artificial ‘shear’ into the quantum fabric of reality, thusly producing some amount of attainable energy from the resulting ‘friction'. Though the machinery is able to replicated with a high degree of success, the method by which the assembled components actually manage to project said ‘shear’ onto a metadimensional level, hitherto accessible only via spike drives, is a secret that Tallarch carried to his grave. Furthermore, once a TPC is primed and activated, it cannot be turned off by seemingly any means. If the TPC is not directing its energy into a network or grid, it will continue to generate and disperse energy, though its recipient is unknown. Even if the housing is fully disassembled, the location which the TPC occupied will continue to be a freestanding center of sourceless energy in a flippant disregard of the laws of thermodynamics, routing its errant power into any electrical devices that enter its perimeter. Due to the lack of understanding surrounding the TPC, it is not used outside of any scenarios beyond temporary testing facilities, experimental voidcraft, and the Mount Golgotha Special Projects Site. If properly analyzed and disassembled, such technology could be invaluable as a permanent, non-interruptible generator for critical installations that cannot afford to lose power, from bunkers to research laboratories. F1-BR3 A practice in applied simplicity, the F1-BR3 Precision Manipulation System is made up of a molecular razor-edge wire held in suspension by a powerful magnetic field. The suspended wire itself is unobservable by the naked eye unless specialized magnification equipment is utilized. Due to the challenge of seeing the razor wire and the general design of the F1-BR3 System, workers utilizing the device colloquially refer to it as “hell’s hacksaw.” The F1-BR3 System can be used in a variety of functions, from slicing apart geological samples to precisely removing rubble and obstructions during rescue operations. Due to the ease with which basic materials and alloys are damaged by the F1-BR3 System, weaponization of the molecular wire setup is already underway. VU1-CAN The VU1-CAN Long Range Refinery Setup consists of three separate subsystems designed to operate in tandem to ensure efficient collection of ore and valuable minerals from asteroid field environments. The first subsystem is a scatter-shot drone dispersal system - each drone is little more than a suite of mineral sensors and magnetic detection equipment wrapped around a parcel sized computer core and bare-bones propulsion system. These drones seek out designated valuable materials then attach themselves to asteroids or stellar bodies containing said materials, acting as a sort of beacon or digital flare. The second subsystem is perhaps the most destructive of the three - a six-barreled solid core magnetic acceleration cannon utilizing many principles derived from kinetic bombardment technology. This cannon launches its solid-core metallic payloads at bodies marked by the detection drones, annihilating said bodies with relatively cheap ammunition at high velocities. The cannon can maintain a constant rate of fire so as long as it is provided with ample targets and a steady solid core ammunition feed. Said ammunition is derived in part from the third integral subsystem, a series of micro-plasmatic forges housed in proximity to the collection areas of the operating vessel and the ‘mining cannon.’ Along with rapid processing of collected ores, the measured amounts of residual slag left over are smelted into further solid core ammunition, allowing for a self-perpetuating mining system so long as the operating area contains sufficient raw materials. S0-1AR The S0-1AR Applicable Dyson Net Design is, as of 3200 CE, a highly tantalizing pipedream solution to energy production and mega-engineering infrastructure. The S0-1AR array is a Dyson Panel design (in actuality it is more akin to a net thousands of kilometers in diameter as opposed to a rigid panel, so as to compensate for the curvature of solar bodies and lack of material to produce such a panel). The array would also possess onboard collectors of helium-3 isotopes from its partner star so as to be distributed and utilized for further power production in the form of cold fusion. The array would require an anchor point in the form of a planetary body with a tight and stable orbit around a powerful concurrent solar body, and as of now there is no such prime testing site under the purview of the Confederation of the Upright Vagrant. If the S0-1AR array was to ever be finalized and constructed, it could likely support an entire system of ecumenopolis worlds through the vast amounts of power caught and harnessed in its metallic webbing. V4SAR1 VASAR1 Ingenuity Enhancements were originally concocted by Typhon personnel trying to think of ‘outside-the-box’ solutions to D.R.I.P exploitation. Upon activation, these neural implants place the recipient into a state of REM sleep while greatly stimulating the right hemisphere of the brain, in order to encourage such abstract concepts as ‘creativity’ and ‘ingenuity.’ In order to retain the thoughts generated during such a state, the neural implants are often accompanied by a mnemonic memory assistance program and a cranial database, which also serve the function of increasing cognitive ability and providing real-time access to major research archives. Some Golgotha personnel have even taken to installing additional knowledge through the VASAR1 implants or modifying said implants, resulting in additional languages learned or the purposeful stimulation and boosting of the synapses of the brain. Golgotha security personnel loath these practices, as, in the words of one gate guard: ‘When the eggheads start experimenting on themselves, that’s when you know they’re desperate. Lab Complex Chimaera Scientists of Laboratory Complex Chimaera are often regarded by their peers as ‘slothful’ or ‘uninspired,’ though Chimaera staff retort that the nature of their work demands they be patient. Complex Chimaera is the biological division of Mount Golgotha, tasked with the codification and exploitation of life and biology. Humans, mutated humans, and alien life are all placed under the scalpel in the silent mortuary gardens of Chimaera, while the development of new medicines and stims continues to improve the function of the human body. Unlike the powerful remedies of the Trilliant Ring, many Golgotha stimulants find their place in the heat of combat, accelerating the body’s healing processes or increasing one’s reaction time threefold. Meanwhile, behind hermetically sealed blast doors, Chimaera virologists have developed a concoction of an exceedingly lethal nature - the engineered virus known as Bellerophitus-2. This bioweapon, in combination with pretech technologies, is designed to ‘key’ to specific individuals and silently kill them, while those not designated by the virus remain perfectly healthy. However, the second strain exhibits a degree of ‘loose aim’ and has a tendency to spread beyond its host after their demise, meaning corpses used for testing the strain must be incinerated thoroughly. The Bellerophitus-1 strain is not spoken of openly, as its containment failure led to the annihilation of the original virology complex via flame, and its subsequent reconstruction. Notable Projects PSYKLOPS If war is an economy, then the conservation of resources should be of paramount importance. This logic led the combined minds of secluded Golgothan researchers to the development of the Psychosis Kinetic Low Orbit Payload System - or as it is more commonly referred to as, PSYKLOPS. The PSYKLOPS agent was made with versatility in mind, able to be deployed from orbit, long range artillery bombardment, or by hand through pressurized canisters. The sickly red haze can either be inhaled or absorbed through the skin of biological enemies. Built-in airborne acids also help deteriorate seals on airtight suits and compartments that might limit PSYKLOPS exposure. This acid, as an acceptable side-effect, also causes painful burning and subsequent deterioration of exposed flesh. Once inhaled or absorbed through the skin, the agent’s primary effects occur in under half a minute. The target is immediately overwhelmed with overriding psychotic urges and extreme rage. This will often lead to friendly fire incidents between opposing forces with whatever weaponry they possess. Exposure of the ocular organs to the airborne acids helps deteriorate vision and thus increases the chance of friendly fire. The PSYKLOPS agent takes approximately twenty minutes to disperse into the local atmosphere. Once dispersed, airborne dosage in targeted areas is not high enough to induce primary effect. Acids that have not yet settled cause only superficial damage upon contact - proper outerwear prevents acidic deterioration of flesh. By this stage, ground forces should already be enroute to rout disoriented enemy units. Even if not slain by fellow combatants, most enemy personnel will likely be deceased by this stage due to the extreme stresses placed upon the cardiovascular and nervous systems of the body by the PSYKLOPS agent. G3C-K0 From zero-gravity labor to rescue operation in obstacle-rich environments, there exists a pressing need for a universal ease of movement through any encountered environment. This need birthed the G3C-K0 Omni-Directional Movement Harness. The harness allows for adhering of the palms and feet to any solid surface through the even application of synthetic adhesives, allowing for ascent of vertical planes and other such obstacles. The harness also comes equipped with an integrated EVA module for movement through liquid mediums and vacuum environs alike. Naturally, the harness can also function as a pressurized full-body suit to allow biological function in such areas, with the ability to recycle the body’s waste products and air supply for extended missions or other outstanding circumstances requiring long periods of time in between resupply. F1A5H Asteroid mining facilities, though homely, are some of the tightest working environments in the sector, their occupants forced to clamber through service tunnels and sleep in ‘pressurized coffins’ mere inches from the void of space. In such environments, running water is a commodity that can not be idly wasted, and a hot shower is most often a luxury of the core worlds. For such orbital installations, the F1A5H Sanitation System is a powerful ultraviolet light installation (combined with radiation scrubbing technology and a cancerous detection suite) that simply eradicates all bacterium and germs present on the body ensconced within the device, which is designed after the cryogenic generation pod. Seeing as how disease is as easily communicable as a spoken word within such cramped environs, powerful sanitation equipment is often necessary to safeguard mining personnel from such viral dangers. Within the strict schedule regimens of asteroid miners, they would also lack the recreational time to spend on a running water sanitation system, so the F1A5H system also saves precious minutes that could be better spent drilling for precious ores. These pods have also become an interesting trend among utilitarian nobles who wish to maintain cleanliness with minimal time wastage in their daily tasks. VAL3N-TINE VAL3N-TINE Synthetic Cardiovascular Regulation is a rather specialized piece of bioware, crafted to keep the heart functioning no matter how much duress the body is placed under. Miniature pumps loaded with self-replenishing healing gel, loosely based off of Osiris Tank extract, are primed to fire their payload directly into the bloodstream, replenishing any damage to the heart's actual tissue. A fine graphene mesh connected to several electrical impulse generators is wrapped around the outside of the heart - in case it stops beating for whatever reason, or the patient suffers a heart attack, the mesh will begin to contract and expand in a regulated pattern so as to stabilize blood flow in the body. In an unintentional yet useful twist upon the ancillary temperature control devices included in the VAL3N-TINE system, some cunning agents have realized they can 'freeze' their cardiovascular system in order to go undetected by thermal imaging - a great boon to those in the business of infiltrating restricted sites, though the 'freeze' also hampers physical activity due to a slower flow of blood through the body. TANTA1US Far too many times, criminals have been caught red-handed without a means to dispose of incriminating evidence. Chimaera bioengineers have solved this conundrum with the TANTA1US Acid Emission Array, more commonly referred to as a ‘burn glove.’ The TANTA1US is an implant in the epidermis of the hand that allows for the storage, projection of, and protection from powerful acids. These acids are able to reduce any small item in one’s hand into sludge and scrap, while the hand remain unburned from the powerful reaction. Such acids also serve as an impromptu close quarters weapon, as contact with unprotected skin can cause extreme pain and even damage deeper tissues. Such ingenious usage has also found its place when infiltrating low-tech areas, as a sealed door can be circumnavigated entirely by simply melting the lock mechanism into slag. Lab Complex Sphinx Ensconced among server banks is Laboratory Complex Sphinx, the digital division of the Golgotha Site. Complex Sphinx’s primary goal is the development and integration of virtual intelligences in all manner of applications, from civilian usage to warfare, made possible with the power of pretech. While a true artificial intelligence is still a distant pipe dream, the VI is a competent-enough program to fulfill a need for improved computational power. Those experts wearing the badge of Sphinx also specialize in cybernetic developments, creating more useful (or lethal) implements for those pirates interested in sporting chrome. Attempts to combine these two fields of research resulted in Project Catoblepas, which sought to use the human mind to ‘grow’ an artificial intelligence. By installing modified versions of a ghost talker transceiver, a drone control link, and an identity submersion trigger into the mind of a patient, Sphinx cyber-surgeons planned to create a pathway for a VI to enter into and utilize the computational capabilities of the human mind. Once developed to a satisfactory degree, on-hand personnel would then remove the intelligence from the patient for usage elsewhere. Experiments so far have had mixed results, the most common end to a trial being the accidental lobotomization of the test subject via information overload as the VI fails to successfully 'utilize' human grey matter. Notable Projects SH1-3LD SH1-3LD Smart Plastic Obstruction Fields find equal purchase in both defensive and offensive applications. The plastics themselves are ionized and magnetized to align in specific parallel pattern formations when released from confinement. Once combined with conventional explosive force and heat generation, the plastic rapidly heats and fuses together into a durable protective sheet. A soldier in need can establish a piece of man-sized defilade in virtually any environment with a SH1-3LD device. These ionized deployable plastics have also found a home in unconventional CQB warfare. When deployed from an explosive handheld medium, the molten plastics cascade and coat nearby enemy personnel in an airtight, puncture-resistant sheath that quickly cools and shrinks. This results in rapid asphyxiation and burning of exposed flesh, preserving deceased combatants in a manner similar to an insect entombed in amber. SP1-D3R SP1-D3R Multi-Positional Ensnarement Zones are rightfully feared by ship-to-ship combatants across the sector ever since their inception. Designed to operate in any and all theaters of war within either confined corridors or similar chokepoints of the hostile personnel, the SP1-D3R subsystem consists of a multi-anchor deployment system installed either by handheld canisters or specialized launcher devices. When unregistered personnel enter the effective range of the anchors, hollow-point metallic spurs are rapidly accelerated from each anchor towards the target, connected back to the anchor via a spool of razor wire. These spoils rapidly retract once the spurs have found purchase in their target, immobilizing said target and dealing further damage to both mechanical and organic systems alike as combatants frantically seek to dislodge the fragmentary spurs. Even when removed, the taut wires will often form a danger zone of a similar pattern to that of a spider’s web, preventing further passage without great difficulty or time spent clearing the obstacle. H3X Cluster While establishing specific backdoor access to enemy computer systems is often a time-consuming affair, the H3X Broad Application Misdirection Cluster circumnavigates direct computer hacking and instead befuddles enemy sensor technology to the point of nonfunction. Exposed cameras and observation equipment are blasted with broad beam laser emitters that leave any captured videos or images as a distorted visual mess. Clouds of standard concealment smoke are filled with lighter-than-air nanofibrous wires that rapidly shift temperature within said smoke cover, playing havoc on thermal capture visors. Banshee-class digital flares broadcast false images and sensor readouts to exposed computer equipment, making illusory tanks or infantry divisions marching across the landscape. And rapid-fortification ECM relays defeat potential enemy smart weapons and severely limit the effective range of comms equipment within their area of effect, cutting opposing infantry off from their command structure. The effects of the H3X Cluster, though not as flashy as energy weapons or an orbital bombardment, are still highly useful in the field of war. Advances and maneuvers can be concealed where they once might have been obvious, and the element of surprise can be retained even in an age of autonomous warfare and rapid-information transfer. 3NCHANT Software Cybernetics and prosthetic bodily functions are a common sight on postech worlds, seeing as how cyberware organs are often operate far more efficiently than their fleshy counterparts. Yet when these artificial parts come under stress or begin performing sub-optimally, it becomes necessary to run maintenance on one’s own self and organelles. With the 3NCHANT Self Diagnostic Cyberware, the subconsciousness is able to constantly verify and optimize the instructions sent to cybernetic modules without conscious input. If modules are degraded to the point of needing repair, the 3NCHANT software can direct them towards the nearest trained practitioner of cyber-surgery (legality, at times, may vary). RANG3R Those endowed with a glut of credits and a desire for self-sufficiency can also receive the RANG3R Self Repair Installation, which positions integrated micro-scale omnitools in cybernetics expected to come under constant stress scenarios (such as subdermal armor repairs). By no means as precise or painless as a targeted nanite surgery, mechanical body parts can at least be bootstrapped into working order until they receive proper repair at a medical facility. C10UD Threatened by constant ambushes in multi-approach environments, marines deployed in the theaters of Al-Dost requested an effective countermeasure to concentrated, unarmored enemy formations. Enter the C10UD Anti-Personnel Area Projector - a system of infrared detection modules, IFF scanners, and shaped-charge fragmentation/flechette launchers. Able to be mounted on most combat-manufacture vehicles, the C10UD Projector establishes a hemispherical kill zone in which all enemy actors can be neutralized in rapid succession without harming friendly combatants. Marines working with such systems in the field have personally sent their regards to Golgotha staff, due to the efficiency and thin margin of error by which the system operates, even in target rich environs. HARDRADA The HARDRADA-Pattern Sustained Lock Subsystem refers to a series of cybernetic and biological modifications made to a combatant that primarily trigger during high duress combat scenarios or a cessation of life patterns. An onboard suite of networked virtual intelligences construct a neural emulation of the primary subject for continued operation and application of basic stratagems in line with recorded combat tactics displayed by the subject. In order to facilitate control of the subject, a reinforced cybernetic endoskeletal apparatus is installed along the muscular systems, equipped with various electronic dischargers for operation of the body’s muscles post-mortem. If the subject is caught in a high-stress scenario yet remains alive, the nervous system will be dosed with a significant quantity of high-grade anesthetics, to prevent natural nerve responses from interfering with HARDRADA. The onboard VI emulation network is able to rapidly identify and isolate enemy actors with IFF detection modules installed in the ocular organelles of the primary subject, even while anesthetized. In some cases, the subject’s body might be fortified for increased durability. Vat-grown muscles will replace their originals for increased striking power and significantly increased application of force. Bones, most usually the ribs, will be wrapped in shock-absorbent combat foams for protection of the main chest cavity, while the skeletal structure of the arms might be similarly reinforced in order to maintain increased physical activity without excessive internal damage. Due to an unfortunate incident at Point Buret during the Al-Dost invasion, many marines now refer to the HARDRADA Subsystem as ‘berserker wire.’ A primary subject, their ocular IFF scanners damaged before their death, killed six of his compatriots with his combat knife as the subsystem activated. Small arms fire proved to be ineffective due to personal modification with extensive anti-ballistic subdermal armor, though the primary subject was eventually subdued with a frigate-mounted multifocal laser. The infamy of this incident has led to many Vagrant-aligned combat forces remaining hesitant to adopt the HARDRADA Subsystem despite tangible benefits, and have, in select instances, threatened Golgotha personnel with significant bodily harm if development of such subsystems continues. T1T4N In an environment where exotic weapon testing is a way of life, Chimaera and Sphinx cybernetic specialists have collaborated to improve upon the base design of subdermal armor for greater protective qualities. The result of this was the T1T4N Dermal Panoply. T1T4N, unlike its purely subdermal predecessor, is easily recognizable at a passing glance, as the increased armor layers and addition of kinetic absorption foam around critical skeletal points, such as the spine and ribs, is easily distinguishable when viewed against an unmodified human. Beneath the initial protective layers and woven into the kinetic foam are various ballistic gel packets that rapidly expand if the outer epidermal layer is penetrated, to prevent damage to the chest cavity and organs, automatically deflating once the danger is passed. Alone, this armor composite is usually capable of deflecting a shotgun blast to the torso at close range. Energy weapons, though slightly less effective due to the inclusion of reflective materials into the outer armor mesh, still deal significant damage to the body, though not usually of a lethal nature. Additionally, general agility is greatly decreased in T1T4N patients, as the weight of the armor and its bulky nature make complex maneuvering all the more difficult. HUD1AK0V An issue common among smuggling rings and traders of dubious reputation is the assessment of interstellar grey markets due to a lack of instant communication. Sphinx cyber-surgeons have made moves to rectify this lack of information with the HUD1AK0V Ocular Assessment Iris. Once an individual arrives in system, the HUD1AK0V utilized updated transmission codes to enter into contact with local grey markets vetted by fellow smugglers. While projecting a real-time display onto the iris, this implant also runs background checks on individual merchants from backdoor-accessed local criminal databases, compares market prices previously encountered in other systems for similar goods, and can even automatically manage credit investments on the micro-scale, if the local system is capable of supporting a digital currency. The computational components of the HUD1AK0V implant also allow for the direct transferral of credits to trading partners by ‘piggybacking’ off of a starship’s communication servers to avoid tracking by law enforcement. Though many claim that the amount of information presented to the recipient is simply overwhelming even at the best of times, the best smugglers in the business sport the ‘golden eye’ of the HUD1AK0V. G0L3M The G0LEM Portable Creation Matrix is a highly versatile piece of cyberware whose uses only increases alongside the ingenuity of its wielder. G0LEM is a series of 3D printers located along the fingers and palm of the hand that are preprogrammed with a variety of designs for basic objects and tools of the trade, from bullets to lockpicks. These objects seemingly form in one's hand over the course of only a few minutes at most. Located further up the arm are various material reservoirs from which the designated objects are fabricated, though said reservoirs must be replenished from time to time in order for the G0LEM Matrix to function properly. Sphinx cyber-surgeons advise that this system be installed in a prosthetic arm - while it can be utilized in a biological limb, the bulk of the reservoirs and the heat generated by the printing process are rather uncomfortable for the average human. Category:Al-Dost Category:Locations